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Fuel scarcity ‘ll linger unless FG pays bridging claims — IPMAN

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.Refineries: Reps C’ttee asks GMD NNPC to submit documents

 

Jonas Ezieke, Abuja

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), has urged the Federal Government to pay marketers their bridging claims to enable them to begin lifting petroleum products from the depots..

 

The IPMAN Public Relations Officer, Alhaji Yakubu Suleiman said this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.

 

NAN reports that IPMAN claims the Federal Government owes its members N500 billion as bridging claims also known as transportation claims.

 

Suleiman also urged the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to convert the special allocation of products meant for cargo to IPMAN in order to quickly address the current shortage of fuel in the country.

 

“We are calling on the Nigeria downstream and mainstream regulatory authorities to try and pay our marketers their bridging claims as from today.

 

“This is important, so that as soon as we get the payment, we can give directives to marketers to start loading their trucks, so that they can start transporting petroleum products.

 

“We are calling on the authorities and the NNPC to quickly allocate a certain cargo of AGO for IPMAN to distribute it to their members to enable them fuel their trucks for accelerated bridging loading.

 

“There is no money to buy the product until the Federal Government pays our claims and assist in allocating a cargo of AGO to us to hasten loading from various loading deports,” Suleiman said.

 

Reacting to the claims by IPMAN, an official of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) who spoke under condition of anonymity said the Federal Government had been paying the marketers, though in batches.

 

According to the official, IPMAN is one of our key stakeholders and we have a committee looking into issues bothering the association.

 

NAN also recalls that IPMAN had in a news conference urged Nigerians to prepare for the worse fuel crisis unless the Federal Government prevails on NMDPRA to pay its members their outstanding bridging claims amounting to N500 billion.

 

Most filling stations in Abuja were shut down at the weekend following scarcity of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, thereby, resulting to long queues.

 

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.), however, attributed the sudden appearance of fuel queues in parts of Abuja to low load-outs at depots.

 

A statement by Garba Muhammad, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Department, NNPC had on Monday, said this usually happened during long public holidays (Sallah celebrations).

 

Muhammad said another contributing factor to the sudden appearances of queues was the increased fuel purchases which were also common with returning residents of the FCT from the public holidays.

Meanwhile, The House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on the Rehabilitation of the Refineries on Tuesday grilled the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation NNPC and other officials of the agency over the state of the nation’s four refineries and demanded the necessary documents on the rehabilitation of the oil production facilities.

 

The House probe panel demanded from the GMD the necessary documents on the scope of work done on the rehabilitation of the four refineries and asked him and his team present them before Friday May 13, 2022 and re-apper on June 3, 2022.

 

Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee Hon. Abdulganiyu Johnson gave the directives to the NNPC boss and his team when they appeared at the re-scheduled investigative hearing on the rehabilitation of the refineries at the National Assembly on Tuesday.

 

He said that the Committee on Thursday 21 April 2022 in a press statement summoned the Hon.Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation NNPC and the General Managers of Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries to appear on the subjectmatter of the probe unfailing on Thursday April 28, 2022.

 

He further said that due to the Easter and Sallah public holidays declared by the government, the Committee on April 26, rescheduled the meeting to Tuesday May 10,2022 and re-invited the top officials of government.

 

 

Other top government agencies officials invited by the Committee include Accountant-General of the Federation, DG, Budget Office of the Federation, General Manager, Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC), General Manager, Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC),              General Manager, Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (KRPC), Managing Director, SAIPEM Contracting Nig. Ltd.

 

Others are the Chief Executive Officer, Technimont Nigeria Ltd, Managing Director,Arthur Ferdinand Ltd and the Managing Director, Lee Engineering & Construction Ltd.

 

The request for documents was made by the lawmakers after close door meeting, where they resolved to scrutiny every single kobo spent by the agency responsible for the fixing of the refineries and to give value for the money so far approved and expended on it.

 

In his response, the GMD said that he would comply with the request made by the committee saying that he has nothing to hide.

 

He said:”this team have every document you required. We ‘ve nothing to hide”.

 

The Committee Chairman had earlier informed the invited stakeholders that the investigation is in accordance with the provisions of the sections 62, 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) as well as the resolution of the House at its plenary.

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